A child and another 20-year-old man were in the apartment at the time, an NYPD spokeswoman said. She did not know their relationship to the victim or suspect, she said.

Rattigan, who lived on the second floor of the building, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Lowe was not immediately arrested, police said.

Tyrone Lowe fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, police said.

Lowe fled the scene in a gray 2006 Honda Odyssey with New York license plate EXT3422, police said.

Lowe frequently visited Rattigan and berated her, even when she was moving into the apartment over the summer, neighbors said.

"He was yelling, saying things I don't want to repeat. He used a couple vulgarities. 'Watch the f---ing door, watch the f---ing furniture.' He was yelling at her for the stupidest reasons," said neighbor Mike Manzo, 58.

"He was degrading. She almost put her head down as if she was ashamed," Manzo added.